From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I've been experimenting with recipes that use whole-wheat pastry flour for a while now, so I was delighted when I found this contest winner on the Eating Well website. I was looking for cookie recipes that might be healthier than some I have in my holiday collection and I liked the way these looked. They are refrigerator cookies of the slice and bake variety and they are truly simple to make. While the dough, which lends itself to freezer storage, can be prepared days before it's needed, I think the flavor of this cookie improves with age. If you decide to bake them, I suggest you make them a day or two before you plan to serve them. It takes a while for the pecan flavor to ripen and without it this is just another sugar cookie. These crisp butter cookies will neither make nor break your reputation as a baker, but it's nice to have such a simple recipe on hand for the holidays. Here's how the cookies are made.
Cinnamon-Pecan Wafers...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Eating Well magazine
Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup finely chopped pecans
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Directions:
1) Beat butter, 1/2 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high until creamy. Add egg and vanilla and beat well. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and add to butter mixture. Beat on low speed until combined. Stir in pecans.
2) Divide the dough in half and use lightly floured hands to shape each portion into a 6-inch round log. Wrap each log in wax paper and freeze until firm, at least 1 hour.
3) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
4) Unwrap dough and let stand at room temperature for 5 minutes. Combine remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar and cinnamon on a shallow plate. Roll logs in sugar mixture, then slice each log into 24 (1/4-inch thick) cookies. Place cookies about 2-1/2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake, one batch at a time, until lightly browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool. Yield: 48 cookies.
Cook's Note: Dough wrapped in wax paper and plastic wrap can be frozen for up to 3 months. Once baked, cookies can be stored in an airtight container for 5 days or frozen for 3 months.
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This is certainly a recipe to bookmark. Always on the lookout for a healthy cookie recipe
ReplyDeleteI wondered how these were all so perfectly the same size, icebox cookies! They look wonderful!
ReplyDeleteI would gladly eat more than one :D
ReplyDeleteCheers
Choc Chip Uru
They are very nice-looking cookies!
ReplyDeletewish i could grab those from the screen... will give a try for sure :)
ReplyDeleteWonderful oookies, Mary. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
ReplyDeleteLove my cookies with nuts, just like these. Plus with whole weat flour, we feel less guilty to eat one or two of these:)
ReplyDeleteLovely little gems for the cookie tray, Mary.
ReplyDeleteAwesome and superb looking cookies..
ReplyDeleteMary , those are pretty delicious cookies ! I love the use of whole wheat flour :) Another recipe for me to try !
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip about preparing this a couple of days before serving for the best flavor as they sound very good.
ReplyDeleteMary, We love cookies and this is another recipe going into our cookie recipe file folder. Thanks and Take Care, Big Daddy Dave
ReplyDeletedelicius, bye SILVIA
ReplyDeleteThey look good - they have that appearance that I like in a cookie...not too thick and chunky, slightly crisp but buttery, too.
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of the cinnamon and pecan flavors melding! Must try these.
ReplyDeleteWhat's not to love about a cookie that's a tad healthier and tastes good, too?
ReplyDeleteI have been experimenting with whole grain flours for some time. I use whole grain spelt flour for most of my recipes. In my experience spelt flour has a sweeter flavor than whole wheat and is somewhat "lighter", too. I learned to weigh the flour, with a kitchen scale, though. Recently I discovered one brand that sells whole grain spelt cake flour that is almost as light as unbleached white flour.
What's not to love about a cookie that's a tad healthier and tastes good, too?
ReplyDeleteI have been experimenting with whole grain flours for some time. I use whole grain spelt flour for most of my recipes. In my experience spelt flour has a sweeter flavor than whole wheat and is somewhat "lighter", too. I learned to weigh the flour, with a kitchen scale, though. Recently I discovered one brand that sells whole grain spelt cake flour that is almost as light as unbleached white flour.